Mexico City, Mexico | Thursday, 02 March 2023 |
Colorful costumes, lively dancing and festive mariachi music were part of a cultural celebration attended by Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during his recent visit to Mexico City.
The program included a performance by the Pebble Lake Forest Folkloric Ballet, an award-winning dance group that counts a service missionary among its members. They performed an Aztec dance and traditional dances from different regions of Mexico. The Mariachi Misterio and the soloists Rodrigo Ortiz and Denisse Ávila also performed.
Elder Gong encouraged the youth to stay on top of academic studies and make missionary service a priority.
“I testify to you that God lives, that Jesus is our Savior and that Russell M. Nelson is a prophet. I also testify that the Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Meetings With Temple Workers and Church Employees
Elder Gong also presided over devotionals for those serving in the Mexico City Mexico Temple and the more than 1,200 employees of the Church in the country.
“I feel like we are on sacred ground, to be here with you temple workers,” Elder Gong said.
He emphasized that the preaching of the gospel and the work of the temple for those who have passed on are the same work.
“Today is the time of Mexico. Today is the time of the Lord’s blessings in Mexico,” he said.
Discussing how to receive personal revelation, he taught, “Heavenly Father wants us to communicate with Him. Sometimes that communication is clear and consistent. Sometimes it isn’t. [Heavenly Father] wants us to learn to do some things by ourselves. Sometimes He walks with us, and sometimes He expects us to learn to walk.”
Meeting With Women and Young Adults in Monterrey
Elder Gong then traveled to Monterrey, where he spoke at a young adult devotional on Friday, February 24.
Elder Gong discussed a meeting he had earlier in the week with a high-ranking official from the Mexican government about the Church’s humanitarian efforts.
“There is a lot to be proud of right now, and there is a lot more to do,” the Apostle said.
Elder Gong encouraged those who had not served missions to consider doing so. He invited Elder Hugo Montoya, a member of the South America Northwest Area Presidency, to present the area plan to help returned missionaries prepare for their future and become lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.
Elder Gong also encouraged the youth to get a good education and training. “The more we can do, it means the Lord can do more through us,” he said.
The next day, nearly 3,000 women gathered in Monterrey, Nuevo León, to hear Elder Gong at the city’s Complex Pavilion M Auditorium on February 25.
“I feel your love for the Savior and the Savior’s love for you,” Elder Gong told the sisters.
Elder Gong asked several women in the audience, “What blessings do you feel right now, and what blessings do you see coming in your life?” Their responses focused on family and temples.
He added, “When we say we are going to the temple, in reality, we are going to be closer to the Lord.”
Elder Gong also emphasized to the sisters that whether they were first-generation or ninth-generation members of the Church, each of them was an important link in the generations of their family.
“But each of us needs to be a strong link,” he said.
Elder José A. Teixeira of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Filomena, as well as the members of the Mexico Area Presidency and their wives, accompanied Elder and Sister Gong for much of their visit to Mexico.